Being the market leader allows for a lot of brash decisions; for example, PlayStation didn’t have to support cross-play because “PlayStation is the best place to play.” When they eventually softened on that position, it was on their terms, They rolled the service out on a trial basis, before expanding it to other games. It certainly worked for them too. Years of fan outcry at the lack of support was forgotten. Now you can play Fortnite on a PS4 with your friend on a Nintendo Switch without any hassle.
Sony, in their latest olive branch moment, seems to be considering an expansion of their Remote Play service. It’s not something anyone really expected, but they seem to be pretty unpredictable lately. The company that didn’t want to play well with others now wants to play with everyone.
Remote Play currently allows users to have a PS4 experience streamed to any PC, Mac, iOS or Android device with DualShock support. The only stickler to the service is that you can only connect to a device on your home broadband network, which means playing on a commute isn’t really a possibility. Remote Play doesn’t replace the need for a PS4, as the service streams directly from it. Still, it’s a neat alternative to have.
The list of compatible devices for PS4 Remote Play seems to be potentially expanding via a survey sent out from PlayStation. Posted by Reddit user YouRedditHereFirst, Sony seems to be testing the water when it comes to player interest for an expanded service. Over a long series of questions, Sony explores the inclusion of more compatible devices, the addition of PS1/PS2 titles and a slimline DualShock controller. Some of the more interesting questions can be found below:
There are a number of takeaways from this, most surprisingly, the discussion of a Remote Play compatible DualShock controller with a screen, and the ability to use Remote Play on the Nintendo Switch. This could potentially be a replacement for the PS Vita, which saw lackluster sales but frequent use as a Remote Play supporting device. The Wii U-esque format could do well for Sony as we move into the next generation, especially if they are looking to expand on their family of devices. This would be bolstered by the discussion of removing the need for a PS4 and a home broadband connection for the service, which was also brought up in their questionnaire.
The inclusion of a Nintendo Switch version of the service could ensure their reach hits even further, especially as we head into the PS5 lifecycle. It would open up the Sony install base to those that already have the latest Nintendo console, and as we already know the sales figures for this side of things is incredibly healthy. The Remote Play expansion could be worked into the PS Now streaming service, giving Xbox Game Pass a run for its money with a breadth of streamable games across a multitude of devices. Sony has already shown recently that they aren’t afraid to try new things to get their titles in front of a more varied audience.
Having PlayStation Remote Play on my Nintendo Switch, with a library of Sony exclusive titles that I can play on my commute, sounds like the kind of future I’d like to see. What do you think? Would you like to see Sony expand on Remote Play? Do you think they’ll roll Remote Play and PS Now together and offer a rebranded, but better, service? Only time will tell, but it seems like Sony is at least thinking about the possibilities.
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